Christopher R Taylor

I cleaned it up a little, added two more bits "opponent is faster than you" and "opponent fights better than you" and its in the file downloads now.  Working on a fillable stripped down fun and easy character sheet for champions and fantasy hero both.  Its cleaner if there's no boxes and stuff, but not as easy to fill in.

I worked up this little sheet to help people just starting to play.  Its based on a Savage Worlds sheet someone did and I got handed when I learned that system and it was useful.  Just a quick reference for some options in combat and combat maneuvers.  I tried to strip it down to the simplest language, leaving details to the GM to handle.
Hero Combat Sheet.pdf

I worked up this little sheet to help people just starting to play.  Its based on a Savage Worlds sheet someone did and I got handed when I learned that system and it was useful.  Just a quick reference for some options in combat and combat maneuvers.  I tried to strip it down to the simplest language, leaving details to the GM to handle.
Hero Combat Sheet.pdf

I worked up this little sheet to help people just starting to play.  Its based on a Savage Worlds sheet someone did and I got handed when I learned that system and it was useful.  Just a quick reference for some options in combat and combat maneuvers.  I tried to strip it down to the simplest language, leaving details to the GM to handle.
Hero Combat Sheet.pdf

That's a nice little cheat sheet, Christopher!
 
Hero's combat system was so intuitive to me when I first encountered it back in 1982 that I am largely unable to imagine how anyone else finds it overwhelming, but I realize that many do. I originally came to RPGs from a wargaming background, and you generally end up with a pretty deep understanding of combat simulation mechanics that way. Compared to the mechanics in many wargames, the Hero combat system is surprisingly simple.
 
When coaching new players, I ususally start by asking them if they'd like to punch, kick, or use one of their powers when their Phase comes up. I reduce their choices to only the most intuitive ones. If they are actually trying to learn the game as they play, as opposed to just sort of passively experiencing the game as a half-interested spectator, then it usually only takes a few Phases before they start wanting to try other things. Then the internal logic of the system does its magic and the vast array of options ceases to be an overwhelming cornucopia, and becomes a treasure trove of possibilities instead.
 
Sadly, I also feel it is necessary these days to advise newbies not to look at published characters for guidance on design. It used to be that I could show newbies the write-up for Mechanon and they would stick around to learn how his powers worked in practice. Since about 5th edition, this just hasn't been possible. The Mechanon write-up is now a great way to drive potential newbies to D&D.

I worked up this little sheet to help people just starting to play.  Its based on a Savage Worlds sheet someone did and I got handed when I learned that system and it was useful.  Just a quick reference for some options in combat and combat maneuvers.  I tried to strip it down to the simplest language, leaving details to the GM to handle.
Hero Combat Sheet.pdf

I worked up this little sheet to help people just starting to play.  Its based on a Savage Worlds sheet someone did and I got handed when I learned that system and it was useful.  Just a quick reference for some options in combat and combat maneuvers.  I tried to strip it down to the simplest language, leaving details to the GM to handle.
Hero Combat Sheet.pdf

...Use sparingly. If the players get the idea that no matter how much ass they kick, you're going to just "cheat" and throw something heavier at them, the conclusion they're likely to draw is "Wow, this guy is a dick!" and find a new GM.  
To a point, yes. Letting the players know they can earn as many (or more) XP by avoiding a fight is great - and is something that D&D/Pathfinder-school gamers may need to be reminded of. But giving out 0 XP because the players didn't do things the way you wanted them to? I'd be looking for another GM.  
Sorry to be so blunt; maybe that's not what you meant. But this comes across as exactly the sort of heavy-handed, adversarial "It's MY game and the players are my chess pieces" style of GMing that I freakin HATE. Roleplaying is supposed to be a collaborate experience.

Amen! I always use simplified character sheets that focus on playability and leave out most of the math. (You need to know AP cost for Adjustment Powers, but most of the other numbers are irrelevant once play starts.) If I need to reference the mechanics in mid-session, I can always pull up the HD file for reference.
 
Yeah, that's always a challenge when introducing players that are used to D&D/Pathfinder/et.al.  A few thoughts:
One advantage of most class/level systems is that combat and noncombat abilities are segregated to an extent and don't really "compete" with each other: you go up a level and your combat stats go up by "x" and you have "y" points for skills, etc. But in Hero, every point you put into, say, languages is literally one less point you have for combat skills. That can really encourage min-maxing if the players get focused on that rather than on building three dimensional character. One way to counter that is to start with the "tell me about your character concept" discussion before anyone goes near actual mechanics; get them thinking about their character as a character first, rather than a collection of stats. Be absolutely clear that the maximums include skill levels & bonuses, not just the base, and that you will be very stingy about granting exceptions. In fact, you may want to call them "parameters" or something instead, since guidelines implies optional adherence. One trick I've seen is to ask each player "what is your character the best at?" and allow them to exceed the guidelines in that one area only. So if the character's concept is "strongest man in the room" then he's allowed a STR that maxes out or exceeds the guidelines, but he couldn't also buy his OCV or INT above the guidelines. Then if another player wants a STR above the guidelines (initially or with later XP) you can play the "I'm concerned you're going to step on Bob's Strongest Man schtick" card. I have sometimes required that PCs put a minimum number of points (typically 10) into Background Skills. I don't have to worry about this with my current group of players (Thanks guys!), but for some players it really forces them to think about their character as a person. And they don't have to worry about putting themselves at a disadvantage by "wasting" those points, because everyone has to do the same thing. Don't forget the "min" half of min-maxing: occasionally put the characters in situations where they're put at a disadvantage for having below-average abilities. You don't have to be a dick about it - in fact, you can sometimes play it for laughs to the players don't feel you're picking on them. And you don't want to overdo it, unless you really want all your PCs to trend toward the middle of the bell curve. But at least once in awhile, highlight the fact that choosing to minimize certain areas will put them at a disadvantage. Lastly, few things are more frustrating as a player than to have your combat monkey sitting on the sidelines for 2 hours watching the more well-rounded characters handle the interact-and-investigate phase. So when a player drafts an all combat PC, say "I see this game as including a fair amount of investigation and interacting with NPCs outside of combat. I'm not sure what this character will have to do during those scenes, and I don't want you to be bored. How do you see your character contributing in between fights?" The catch here is, are they playing that way because that's all they know? Or because that really is what they like to play? Part of the GM-Player contract is that you'll do your best to run a game that everyone will enjoy (including yourself of course). It may be they're used to games where points in noncombat skills are essentially wasted, in which case you need to reiterate that not all problems in your campaign will be solvable by fighting, and then reward them when they use those skills.
 
On the other hand, it may be that they really just want to play a series of combats and regard everything in between as filler. If that's the game they really want to play, trying to change their style of play can be an exercise in frustration for everyone! I point to the comic Full Frontal Nerdity, where the GM is always trying to run these thematic, role-play heavy games with lots of character interaction and drama...but his players just want to kill things and get more powerful. And after every game, he's surprised and disappointed that the players didn't play it the way he wanted them to. That's a fundamental disconnect that in real life will kill a game group quicker than anything. So have that conversation up front and find a middle ground that everyone can live with.

My biggest epiphany in teaching people to play HERO has been treating the provided character sheet simply as a building sheet and designing a sheet that hides most of the numbers not needed often in gameplay, that uses words to describe powers rather than game terms, and has some design features that tie the sheet into the genre being played (even if that was simply a decent font).
 
This is a long-standing rant of mine.  game designers spend forever thinking of the mechanics and getting the rule book right and then seem to ruch out whatever black and white set of boxes with numbers in it that will suffice to hold the details the GM requires.
 
The character sheet is the players window to the system and the game.  The character sheet is the primary way in which the game designers must hook the players with the system and genre they are peddling.  We deserve better!  
 
I would say the first sheet that put me on this loop was Justice Inc - it screamed pulp to me.  That was pre-cheap printing and PC design tools...so much could be done now.

Second Hand Lions is full of pulpy adventure in its flashback sequences.
 
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The RDJ Sherlock Holmes films maybe?
Captain America: The First Avenger
Spectre (1977 tv movie)...very pulpy even though it doesn't take place in the pulp era

Sonic Blast: A-flat

I wish I had an export template for Hero Designer that showed ONLY the Names and Notes of Powers.
 
Lucius Alexander
 
If wishes were palindromedaries

Agreed on all counts. Hide the complexity until either a player wants to know about it, or it becomes necessary for resolving some important action. Eventually, players will either want to dig deeper and learn the nuts and bolts, or they won't. In a campaign/group not consumed by power gamers and min/maxers, there's no reason I can think of why the more casual players can't continue to have boatloads of fun without ever looking behind the complexity curtain.

I think teaching people Hero is best done at a minimal level.  They don't need to know very much at all about the rules, just how to interact with the game at the most basic level.  Here's how you roll to hit.  Here's how you do skills.  Here's how you do damage.  Lets play.
 
Using premade characters for newcomers allows them to step into play very quickly, in my experience, and gamers at least are quite familiar with the basic concepts of how rules work so they learn quickly.
 
The absolutely worst thing you can do is have three or four people trying to explain things all at once.  It becomes overwhelming and few things frustrate me as badly as trying to teach some guy how to play with kibbitzers throwing in extra details and anecdotes.  One teacher at a time.

Absolutely. Here's an example of the character sheet I use for con/demo games, which I had also posted to FB discussion mentioned above. It does take a little time to create, since you have to cut & paste from the HD export format of your choice into a custom Word document. But it's time well spent IMO to simplify the new player's experience.
Pebbles.doc

Another thought I had based on some facebook discussions: the character sheets.
 
Character sheets for novice players can be very, very minimal.  They don't need to know the point cost of anything, that's irrelevant to their play at first.  They don't need to know the modifier totals either.  +1/4, etc totally irrelevant to them.  In fact, you can get away with stripping modifier notations down to little or nothing.  You can skip endurance costs at first as well, they can pick that up as they go along.  Defenses should be written out in long form with explanations, not a quick summary that suffices for experienced players.  Its confusing with all those 18/25 (3) in the sheet even if you know the system well.
 
Their sheet can have things like this instead:
 
Blast of Doom: 12d6 Blast
Hover: 15m flight, 30m out of combat (x mph)
Force Field: 10 Resistant PD, 12 resistant ED when turned on
 
Physical Defense: 8  With force field: 18
   Resistant Physical Defense: 3   With Force Field: 13
Energy Defense: 10  With force field: 22
   Resistant Energy Defense: 3   With Force Field: 15
 
Writing up OCV and DCV can include the formula to make it extra easy.
OCV: 15+3d6 = DCV hit
 
Modifiers can be added by the GM and done in their heads or privately; the players don't need to know all that yet.  Encourage them to try different things, and give them rewards for it, so they do so again.  If they ask "can I run up and hit him?" Say "sure, you just have a slightly lower chance to hit but you can do more damage!"  not "that will reduce your DCV by .... what is your running?" and so on.
 
Time enough later for players to learn more complex rules, all they need to know is the very basics, and have a character sheet with the basics to make it work.  The more colorful, interesting, and easy to read a sheet is, the better players will catch on.  If the character sheet looks like a spreadsheet from an accountant, their eyes will cross.

I think teaching people Hero is best done at a minimal level.  They don't need to know very much at all about the rules, just how to interact with the game at the most basic level.  Here's how you roll to hit.  Here's how you do skills.  Here's how you do damage.  Lets play.
 
Using premade characters for newcomers allows them to step into play very quickly, in my experience, and gamers at least are quite familiar with the basic concepts of how rules work so they learn quickly.
 
The absolutely worst thing you can do is have three or four people trying to explain things all at once.  It becomes overwhelming and few things frustrate me as badly as trying to teach some guy how to play with kibbitzers throwing in extra details and anecdotes.  One teacher at a time.

I think teaching people Hero is best done at a minimal level.  They don't need to know very much at all about the rules, just how to interact with the game at the most basic level.  Here's how you roll to hit.  Here's how you do skills.  Here's how you do damage.  Lets play.
 
Using premade characters for newcomers allows them to step into play very quickly, in my experience, and gamers at least are quite familiar with the basic concepts of how rules work so they learn quickly.
 
The absolutely worst thing you can do is have three or four people trying to explain things all at once.  It becomes overwhelming and few things frustrate me as badly as trying to teach some guy how to play with kibbitzers throwing in extra details and anecdotes.  One teacher at a time.

Grrk.  Sorry but that description makes my brain malfunction.  I would never ever understand that.  I mean, clearly it works for your group, but I've heard of people doing it that way and I just can't wrap my head around it.
 
I think of it the following way:
 
If you roll an 11, you hit a DCV equal to your OCV.  For every point you roll under 11, you hit one better DCV.  For every point you roll higher than 11, you hit one worse DCV.

At last it can be revealed!
 
At last it can be revealed! I took advantage of some free time in ace artist Eric Lofgren's schedule earlier this year to get him to create a beautiful piece of art that I currently intend to use as the cover of Mythic Hero. He took my idea and executed it superbly.

I don't have a finished book. I don't have any specific idea for how I'll publish the book when it is finished. But man, do I have a kick-ass cover.